Nutrition Guidelines for Kids with Diabetes

Below are the following nutrition guidelines as of 2000 for children age 3 and older based on the United States Department of Agriculture Food Guide Pyramid.

• 6 to 11 servings per day from the bread, cereal, rice, and pasta food group
  1 serving = 1 slice of bread, 1/2 cup cooked rice or pasta, 1 ounce cold cereal, 1/2 bagel, or 1/2 English muffin
 
• 3 to 5 servings per day from the vegetable group
  1 serving = 1/2 cup raw or cooked chopped vegetables or 1 cup raw leafy vegetables
 
• 2 to 4 servings per day from the fruit group
  1 serving = 1 piece of medium-size fruit, 1/2 cup no sugar added canned fruit, or 1/2 cup no sugar added fruit juice
 
• 2 to 3 servings per day from the milk group
  1 serving = 1 cup milk (check with your child's doctor whether this should be regular milk, 2% fat, 1% fat, or non-fat milk), 1 cup low-fat yogurt, or 1 1/2 to 2 ounces cheese
 
• 2 to 3 servings of protein: meat, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts
  1 serving = 2 to 3 ounces of lean meat, poultry, or fish; 1/2 cup cooked beans or lentils; 1 egg, or 2 tablespoons peanut butter
 
• fats, oils, and sweets to be eaten sparingly
  aim for a daily total intake of 30% or less total calories from fat, 10% or less of which may be saturated fat

Sugars, including honey, corn syrup, maple syrup, etc, should be restricted to 1 teaspoon sugar per serving and eaten only occasionally as they are often accompanied by fat and don't provide vitamins and minerals.

 

To find out more information about suggested servings sizes for kids with diabetes, talk to your child's registered dietitian. Monitoring what your child eats along with managing his or her blood glucose levels can help your child establish healthy habits that will last a lifetime.

 

Source: http://www.diabeticlifestyle.com/eating-well/diabetes-friendly-recipes-kids-comfort-foods